


Fiendfyre (The Arsonist's Lullaby)

by the_interuniversal_geometer



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fire, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kinda Dark, Light Angst, No longer a one shot!, Pre-Hogwarts, Unreliable Narrator
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:55:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22689607
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_interuniversal_geometer/pseuds/the_interuniversal_geometer
Summary: As long as he's been aware, Harry has had a voice in his head, Tom, to keep him company.In which Harry can talk to the horcrux inside his head.
Relationships: Harry Potter & Tom Riddle
Comments: 25
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

Harry wasn’t alone in his head. He had a friend, Tom, who would tell him the most fantastic stories. Stories about a magical school and snakes that live beneath a girl’s bathroom. Harry listened while he gardened, talked while he cleaned. Dudley called him crazy and pushed him down the stairs when he heard Harry muttering. After that, Harry was careful not to talk to Tom aloud. He was known as spacey by his classmates but it didn’t matter. He only needed Tom.

As long as he could remember Harry had been captivated by fire; Tom had been captivated by fire. The way it flickered and changed, never staying the same, always moving. He was four, maybe five as he stared at the stovetop, heard the hiss of gas and watched the ring of flames spring to life. His aunt yelled at him, called him a freak, and told him to get a move on, but he didn't move. It took a whack on the head with a frying pan for him to move but not before he realized how the fire called to him. Because he knew then that the fire could consume him if he let it.

He was suspended from school for setting a teacher’s hair on fire. He must have done it, even though he was sitting at his desk. The teachers thought him a troublemaker. The Dursleys shouted at him and locked him in his cupboard for two whole weeks. His only company were the spiders on the ceiling and the voice in his head. His only entertainment was a lighter that he nicked off of Dudley. The strange thing about the lighter was that as long as he had it, it never seemed to run out of fuel.

When it was Harry’s eleventh birthday, he already knew to expect a letter. Of course Tom had told him about this. He also told him about another boy, many years ago. A boy in an orphanage and a professor who spoke of magic and lit his dresser ablaze. Tom told about how that boy watched in equal parts horror and fascination, at the cruelty, the fire, and the magic. Harry asked who the boy was, but Tom stayed silent. So Harry expected a letter. What he got were loads of letters and a half-giant storming into a small shack on the water. When the man– Hagrid– spoke of an “Albus Dumbledore” Harry could feel a spark of hatred: Tom’s hatred.  _ Dumbledore was the professor that night, the one that lit your dresser on fire, wasn’t he?  _ Harry asked. Tom didn’t answer again. Harry knew he was right. He decided he didn’t think he liked this Dumbledore character much, not if he did  _ that _ to his Tom’s possessions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A very short one-shot I wrote a while ago. (Which is no longer a one-shot!!!)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to aph for being a beta for this chapter and for duplicity for inspiring me to finally post this! The previous chapter was actually written about a year and a half ago, even though it was posted recently. I’ve got some ideas of where the story might go from here but nothing else has really been written yet!

_ “Do you see that man? That's Hagrid. I went to school with him. He’s a great buffoon.” _ Tom told Harry when a giant burst through the door of their rickety cabin. 

Harry thought that was probably right, but Hagrid was also undeniably kind to him in a way that he was very much unused to in adults. 

_ “He did bring me my very first cake,” _ Harry told Tom, later. 

_ “He’s beneath you,” _ Tom replied. Still, Harry reserved judgement on this strange man until he could get to know him further. 

Harry was suspicious when Hagrid brought up Dumbledore and what a great man he was, but he must be a great manipulator because Tom told him how people love to believe the best in Dumbledore. Harry resolved to be on his guard when he met the man; he promised that  _ he  _ wouldn’t be tricked so easily. 

When they got to Diagon Alley, Harry was in awe. He had heard all about this place from when Tom told him, but it still took his breath away. Tom, too, was in a little bit of awe. This place had changed a lot in the years since he’d left it. His first impression of it had been in the war-torn London of the second Great War. Later it had been war-torn from his own campaign. He shared this with Harry, carefully omitting the second part, about his war campaign. He still hadn’t told Harry his true nature and had no plans to do so now, especially not in so casual a manner.

Hagrid was still the one who told Harry what happened to his parents. Tom had told him the basics, of course, but still some details were foggy even to him. Harry knew that his parents had been murdered and that he almost had been but nothing else about it. Hagrid told him about the rebounding curse and most importantly about Lord Voldemort. Harry asked Tom if he had ever heard of such a man, and Tom told him that this Voldemort fellow must have been after his time. 

Hagrid took Harry to get his wand. The wandmaker was strange, but Harry knew that the feather of a firebird would be a perfect match for him.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to Poke for betaing this chapter!

Tom wondered afterwards if it took so long to get a match because there were two of them and not just one. Harry wondered the same thing, but he wouldn’t trade Tom for anything. 

_ “And it was the brother wand of Voldemort’s, that’s very strange too,”  _ Harry mused. After they left the wand shop, Hagrid took him to Eeylops Owl Emporium and let Harry look around. The store was loud and smelled like animal food and fur. Squawking, hissing, and scurrying could be heard from the various cages that lined the walls and floor of the shop.

There were so many kinds of animals. Cats of every color with lion tails;  _ “Kneazles,” _ Tom said, dogs with three tails;  _ “krupps,” _ and moving round furballs;  _ “puffskeins.” _

A shopkeeper came up to Harry, “Is there anything in particular you’re looking for sir, or are you just browsing?”

Harry looked around at all the different animals, gauging his question, “I’m going to be starting at Hogwarts this year. What’s a good animal to take with me?”

“The permitted animals are owls, cats, and toads. The owls are over here, the cats are past those shelves, and the toads are towards the back of the store in a reptile enclosure.” The shopkeep pointed to each area in turn as they mentioned it, allowing Harry to get his bearings as to the location. Harry thanked them and made his way around the store, looking at the different animals. Tom immediately drew Harry’s attention to the giant snakes in the back of the store.

_ “Harry, you must get one of those snakes,” _ Tom told him. Harry looked at the snakes and then all around at the other animals in the store. He pressed his face against the glass of the serpent enclosure and watched as a black viper slithered out from a small rock cave, bringing its face to his eye level.

Harry turned to Hagrid, eyes pleading. “Can I get a snake?” 

“Snakes aren’t allowed at Hogwarts, lad. I don’t think Dumbledore will approve of that.” Hagrid told him gently.

Tom mentally scoffed, _ “What the old fool doesn’t know won’t hurt him. You can always get another snake, and Dumbledore will never be the wiser. Hagrid’s firmly in his pocket; I wouldn’t trust him if I were you.” _

“No, it’s okay,” Harry told Hagrid, “I think an owl would be fine.” He turned away from the viper with a last longing look and made his way to the owl cages.

“How ‘bout this owl?” Hagrid asked, gesturing at a snowy owl, “What do ye think of this lovely girl?” Harry reached out a hand to pet her, and his fingers glided through her fluffy feathers. She turned to nip gently at his fingers, and he removed his hand from her feathers.

Harry turned to ask the shopkeeper, “How much is she?” Hagrid put his hand on Harry’s shoulder. 

“Don’t worry lad, this one’s on me. Happy birthday.” Hagrid said with a grin as he reached into his coin pouch.

As Harry made his way out of the pet store and into Madame Malkins, a blond boy passed him and met up with his mother. Tom felt some kind of recognition as the boy passed them but didn't say anything. He didn’t want to reveal too much of what he knew, lest he revealed who he was to Harry.

After Harry got fitted for his school robes, Hagrid took him to get his books. Harry went through his list, putting the required books into a solid metal cauldron that was much lighter than it should be.

_ “It’s got a featherlight charm on it,” _ Tom told Harry,  _ “why else would they have you carrying around a solid metal cauldron?” _

_ “That seems useful,”  _ Harry replied.

_ “It is,”  _ Tom said.  _ “You can get a trunk that’s been enchanted, but it’s very expensive. You’re better off just charming it yourself when you get to Hogwarts.”  _ Harry resolved to do just that. He was finding out that magic could do wonderful things.

Grabbing a book on dragons off a nearby shelf, Harry asked Tom,  _ “Should I get any books besides the required list?” _ When he opened it he saw full-color, moving images of dragons swooping through the sky, opening their mouths in silent roars, and occasionally letting out a plume of multicolored fire. He put that one into the cauldron along with his school books. 

_ “Get one on curses and hexes as well as one on pureblood etiquette. There’s no class on that at Hogwarts, and it’s important you learn how to comport yourself within society.” _

Harry picked up a volume on curses as well as  _ Heloise Toddy’s Guide to Etiquette For The Young Mage.  _ A hefty tome on the who’s who of wizarding society that Tom recommended he pick up.

As Hagrid returned Harry to Privet Drive, he left Harry with information regarding being at King’s Cross station on the first of September in order to make the train for Hogwarts. 

When Petunia saw Harry making his way back to the house with a trunk and owl in tow, she ushered him quickly inside and slammed the door. She took his trunk, books, clothes, and all of his purchases into the cupboard under the stairs, locking it firmly and without hesitation. Petunia told him that from now on he’d be sleeping in Dudley’s second room and shrieked that he “better be grateful, freak!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For clarification, in this story Hagrid takes Harry into the owl shop which means Harry ends up not meeting Draco in Madam Malkins. Some timeline stuff will be changed from canon as Harry's different choices and actions will have an effect on what happens when.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Miri for both helping me to beta this chapter and for helping me put all the previous chapters into past tense! Speaking of, all of the past chapters have now been edited so that they are in past tense and all future chapters will be in past tense as well. Hope y'all enjoy this chapter as its longer than all the previous chapters combined and includes Harry finally meeting his classmates.

Harry arrived at King’s Cross station early, the Dursleys wanting to get rid of him as soon as they possibly could. He arrived at an already busy station and looked around for the platform that Hagrid told him about.

_“Which platform was it again?”_ Harry asked Tom.

_“It’s on your ticket Harry, Platform 9 ¾. I’ve told you this before; you just need to go through the brick wall,”_ Tom told Harry. Harry looked at it dubiously because the brick barrier was just like all the other barriers and appeared remarkably solid.

_“Don’t you trust me Harry?”_ Tom asked, affecting hurt.

_“No, I trust you! I do, I swear, just, are you sure? The brick looks awful real.”_ Harry said, nervously. 

_“Look, if you don’t want to go through it you don’t have to take my word for it; other people will begin going through it soon enough.”_ Harry watched as a family of redheads began making their way through the barrier.

_“See?”_ Tom sniped at Harry, _“I told you that you’ve got nothing to worry about.”_ Harry waited until the family had all gone through before making his way to platform 9 ¾. He mentally shrugged then started walking through the barrier. When he passed through it he expected to feel something but the illusion broke, and he was met with the sight of a red and black steam engine and a platform bustling with students and their families.

Harry made his way onto the train, not having anyone to see him off. He tried to heave his trunk and owl onto the train, but the trunk was too heavy for him to lift on his own. A pudgy blond boy came up to Harry and asked, “Have you seen a toad anywhere? I’ve lost mine.”

Harry shook his head, “Sorry, I’ve only just got here. I’ll keep an eye out though.” He tried again to haul the trunk onto the train but dropped it.

“Do you need a hand?” The boy asked Harry.

“Yeah, I’d appreciate it, thanks,” Harry said. The boy grabbed one end of the heavy trunk and Harry grabbed the other, and they both lifted the trunk onto the train.

“Well I’ve got to keep looking, but it was nice to meet you. I’m Neville by the way,” the boy said and gave a shy smile.

“Nice to meet you Neville, I’m Harry,” Harry said and smiled back. “Good luck with your toad!” Harry called after him as the boy turned to leave.

“Oh thanks!” Neville said with a small wave as he stepped off the train began to make his way to the front of the train, calling for his toad and knocking on carriage doors.

Harry went to an empty compartment, but it wasn’t long before a blond haired boy opened the door, followed by two much larger boys. The blond boy looked around the compartment and then asked, “I was looking for Harry Potter, have you seen him yet?”

“What are you looking for him for?” Harry asked the boy. The two larger boys shuffled around but didn't say anything. 

“I wanted to properly introduce myself before we got to Hogwarts. I wouldn't want him falling in with the wrong sort,” he said, looking pointedly at Harry. Tom gave a sharp bark of laughter in Harry’s head, and Harry couldn’t help the beginnings of a smirk forming on his own lips.

“Well you’ve met him,” Harry said, “but I don’t think you’ve introduced yourself properly.” Harry watched as the boy tried valiantly to save face.

“Are you really?” he asked. “My name is Draco Malfoy,” the boy said and stuck his hand out to Harry. Harry felt Tom’s recognition of the name but Tom didn’t say anything, so Harry mentally shrugged. Harry drew the second out to two, then three, before finally shaking the boy’s hand.

“I’m Harry Potter, and I’d say it’s nice to meet you but it hasn’t been yet.”

“These are Crabbe and Goyle,” Draco gestured to the two boys behind him. 

Harry nodded at the two boys, and Draco turned to the two boys and said, “What are you waiting for? Crabbe, Goyle, get the trunks into the cabin,” and he took a seat as Crabbe and Goyle took Draco’s and their trunks and hauled them into the compartment. As the three of them took their seats Crabbe and Goyle pulled out what looked to be a pack of cards.

Harry took his seat as well, pulling his book on dragons out of his bag. He had been planning on reading some of it on the train ride as he didn’t get to read any of his school books over the summer. Aunt Petunia had locked them in the cupboard so he didn’t get so much as a peek inside any of them. Tom had argued that Harry should read through the etiquette book first, but Harry was much more interested in dragons. He wanted to know how they could breathe fire without getting burned, as well as how they summoned it. Could _he_ breathe fire like a dragon? Tom had laughed a bit when Harry had asked, but he didn’t know the answer so Harry thought he had no place to laugh.

_“Be careful with this one,”_ Tom warned, referring to Draco. _“He’s after your name, and people like that are never loyal.”_

_“You’ll be looking out for me though, Tom,”_ Harry reassured, _“and I don’t want to make any enemies before even starting school.”_

_“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,”_ Tom shrugged.

Harry flinched back hard when he heard a loud _crack coming_ from the direction of Crabbe and Goyle. “What was that?” he asked, a bit spooked.

“We’re just playing Exploding Snap,” Crabbe told Harry.

“Oh,” Harry said, a bit embarrassed.

“It’s fun, d’you want to join us?” Goyle asked.

“No, thanks though,” Harry said, trying to get his racing heart back under control. However much he liked fire he found that loud sounds still frightened him because of his time at the Dursleys. Vernon slamming a door or Dudley stomping down the stairs always boded ill for Harry. Draco gave him a bit of a funny look but didn’t say anything.

Harry settled in with his book, and Draco leaned over and asked, “What’re you reading?” Harry tilted the book so that Draco could see the title.

“ _Dragon Physiology: Fire and Flight,”_ Draco read aloud. His eyes lit up. “I’ve always wanted to see a dragon,” he said excitedly. “I’ve got posters of them in my room but I’ve never seen one up close. Can I see some of the pictures from your book?” he asked Harry. Harry nodded, and the two of them sat side by side, Draco watching as Harry paged through the book.

Crabbe and Goyle kept talking and playing their game, though Harry wasn’t paying attention to what they were saying, too absorbed in his book. Every time there was an explosion, though he couldn’t keep from flinching. They heard a knock at their compartment door, and Harry got up and slid their door open.

A witch with a trolley full of sweets was waiting behind the door. “Do you want anything from the trolley, dearies?” she asked.

“What’ve you got?” Harry asked, never having had the opportunity to buy treats for himself. The witch listed off a number of fantastic sounding treats and Harry admitted, “I’ve never had any of those before.”

“We’ll have four of everything,” Draco piped up, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold piece and a few silver coins. “My treat,” he said, smiling at Harry. Harry, who had never had anyone, friend or otherwise, to buy him sweets before, grinned back.

As the trolley lady handed them their sweets Draco divided them up between the four of them. Crabbe and Goyle began digging in immediately and Draco turned to Harry and asked, “Do you know which house you want to be in?”

“No, I don’t really know anything about the houses,” Harry said sheepishly.

“I bet you’ll be in Slytherin,” Draco said. “That’s where all the best mages go. There’s Gryffindor for the reckless, Ravenclaw for the know-it-alls, and Hufflepuff for the leftovers,” he told Harry. “Though I wouldn’t mind being in Ravenclaw if it came to it,” he said thoughtfully.

_“Are they really as bad as all that?”_ Harry asked.

_“Well he is mostly right,”_ Tom told him. _“Though there have certainly been decent wizards out of all the houses, Slytherin is by far the best.”_

“I certainly hope I’m in Slytherin then,” Harry said, responding to both Tom and Draco. “Do you mind if I?” Harry gestured to the book he had placed face down on the seat in between them. 

“No, go ahead,” Draco said, leaning over to read over Harry’s shoulder as he picked up the book on dragons and continued reading, both of them occasionally picking at their pile of candy. Harry flipped the page to a double spread of a Welsh Green dragon when they heard the door to their compartment slide open.

A bushy haired girl entered, and the boy who had helped Harry with his trunk earlier, Neville was visible peeking out behind the door, though only barely. Harry gave Neville a small wave, and Neville returned it shyly. “Have you seen a toad? Neville lost his toad, and we were wondering if you had seen him,” said the girl. Before Harry could say anything, Draco spoke up. 

“No we haven’t seen any toads,” Draco said imperiously, “now go away.”

“Well excuse me then!” exclaimed the bushy haired girl as she exited the carriage, Neville in tow.

“That was a bit harsh,” Harry commented mildly, glancing up from his book, “you don’t want to go making enemies before you even get to Hogwarts.”

“I’m a _Malfoy,_ ” he stressed, as if that should mean anything to Harry, “I’m the one people don’t want to be making an enemy of.”

Tom mentally rolled his eyes, or at least that’s what it felt like to Harry. Harry shrugged as if to say, _Well what can you do?_ and went back to his book on dragons. Draco joined him in his reading, and soon they were almost to Hogwarts. 

Harry and Draco changed into their school robes, and soon enough the train came to a stop in front of the school. Harry heard the booming voice of Hagrid calling all the first years over to boats where he and Draco took their seats. They looked around but Goyle was nowhere to be found.

“Where did Greg go?” Crabbe asked Draco.

“He probably got lost. I swear you two would lose your heads if they weren’t attached to your necks,” Draco said with a smirk. “We’ll meet up with him again at the castle, I’m sure.” Before the boats set out Harry and Draco were quickly joined by the loud girl from earlier who spoke up as soon as they began drifting down the river.

“Wow, this is amazing,” she said. “I wonder how they’re going to sort us. I read all of _Hogwarts: A History_ over the summer, but it didn’t mention it in there. I’m Hermione, by the way,” she stuck out her hand, “Hermione Granger.”

Harry shook her hand. “I’m Harry Potter,” he told her. 

“Are you really?” she asked, eyes wide. “I read all about you in _Modern Magical History_ and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century_ ,” she tells him eagerly.

“There are books about me?” Harry asked. 

_“We should have picked some of those up when we were in Diagon Alley. You should ask to see them, see what’s true and what people are making up about you,”_ Tom told Harry. 

“You’re only the one of the most famous wizards in the world,” Hermione told him, “or at least in Great Britain.”

“Can I take a look at some of those books?” he asked her, and Draco scoffed.

“What do you need to do that for? Shouldn’t you already know what’s in them, having lived it?” Draco interjected. 

“It wasn’t until recently that I even knew what happened to my parents,” Harry told him. “My aunt and uncle told me that they died in a car crash.”

Draco looked at him, mouth agape. “How could you not know what happened to them? It’s only the most told story of our times.”

“Like I said,” Harry said, growing a bit frustrated, “I wasn’t—” 

Just then they came to a stop, and Hagrid’s booming voice drowned out what Harry was saying. “Firs’ years off the boats now,” he was saying. “Watch yer step, watch yer step. Follow me, we’re all going into the castle.” He began walking and then paused, calling back, “Was anyone lookin’ fer a toad? I’ve got one up here.”

Neville ran past them, towards Hagrid, saying, “I’ve got to go get my toad!”

“Wow, what an idiot,” Draco laughed as they started walking. “Did you know that they had to toss him out of a window before he did any magic?” Draco mock-whispered. 

“That’s a perfectly awful thing to say!” exclaimed Hermione. “Just because people can’t do magic it doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent. My parents are both dentists, and you have to do years of schooling before you’re qualified for that.”

“Did they really toss him out of a window?” Harry asked, aghast.

“Yeah,” Draco said, ignoring Hermione entirely. “My father told me the story: the Longbottom squib finally proving he could do magic. It was all anyone talked about for a while. It’s considered a joke that he’s even able to come to Hogwarts, and rumor has it that his grandmother had to bribe the headmaster to allow him to be enrolled. I bet he goes into Hufflepuff; it’s all he’s fit for, really.” Harry didn’t say anything, not really sure what to say. By then Goyle had caught up to them and begun engaging Draco in conversation, but Harry’s thoughts turned inward. _What kind of people would toss their kid out of a window,_ he wondered.

_“I bet your aunt and uncle would toss you out of a window if they thought they could get away with it,”_ Tom remarked.

_“Yeah, they’d probably do it if I_ did _do magic, though,”_ Harry told him.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry gets sorted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Drarrymarvelous for betaing this chapter!

As they made their way through the large double doors and into the Great Hall, Harry stared. The whole sky was visible through the ceiling, stars clearer than any he had ever seen in Little Whinging. Candles floated in the air, creating even more spots of light among the constellations already visible in the sky. There were four long tables, each filled with students already, and a table in the front of the room where the professors sat. In the middle of all the teachers was a golden throne where sat a wizened old man with a silver beard and golden spectacles.

 _“Dumbledore,”_ Tom hissed, and Harry couldn’t help wrinkling his nose in disgust. A witch with a severe bun was talking to the first years, but Harry didn’t hear her. All he could focus on was the slight ringing in his ears at seeing that man, the one he had heard so much about, here in the flesh. The witch, probably a professor _,_ brought out an old hat and set it on a chair in the front of the room. The hat opened a tear in its brim and began… singing? But then Tom started talking.

 _“You don’t want to look Dumbledore in the eyes, Harry, or else he’ll be able to read your mind.”_ Harry’s eyes widened in alarm.

_“Why didn’t you tell me this before? Can all wizards read minds?”_

_“Harry, calm down,”_ Tom told him. _“I didn’t tell you because you didn’t need to know, but now it’s important. You can’t let him know I’m in your head or else he’ll try to separate us.”_

 _“He can’t do that!”_ Harry exclaimed. _“He can’t take you away from me!”_

 _“He won’t Harry, I promise,”_ Tom soothed. _“You just have to be careful.”_

 _“I will be,”_ Harry promised.

 _“Good,”_ Tom said. _“Not all wizards are able to read minds, it takes a special amount of skill and power to do so, but you mustn't assume that any wizard_ can’t _read your mind.”_

 _“I won’t,”_ Harry told Tom. He had had no idea wizards were able to read your every innermost thoughts from your head. He was so grateful to have his Tom to guide him through this strange and dangerous new world. By the time Tom had finished talking to him the severe witch from earlier had begun calling students’ names and placing the singing hat on their heads. After the hat was placed it called out one of the four house names, and the student went to one of the four tables.

All too soon she called out; “Potter, Harry,” and Harry went up to the chair and placed the singing hat on his head. It slipped down over his eyes, and all he could see was murky darkness.

 _“Oh ho ho, what’s this?_ _”_ asked a new voice in Harry’s head. _“_ _There’s two of you in there!”_

Harry started in alarm, _“What? Who’re you?”_ He tried to look around but the large hat obscured the rest of the Great Hall. _“Are you a wizard trying to read my mind?”_

 _“I’m the Sorting Hat, didn’t you listen to the song?”_ asked the voice in his head, sounding exasperated.

“ _I didn’t catch a lot of it, no,”_ Harry said, and Tom started laughing. 

The Sorting Hat gave a sigh and said, _“I’m supposed to sort you into whichever house you belong in but I’ve already sorted one of you before.”_

 _“Just sort Harry this time,_ ” Tom piped up, _“_ _ _I’ve_ already had my turn.” _

_“Well I can’t do that,_ ” the hat said, _“_ _ _I’_ ve got to sort whoever is under my brim, though I’ve never had to sort two someones together before! I’m sure we can come to some sort of compromise eh, Mr. Potter, Mr. Riddle?” _

_“Okay,”_ Harry said. _“I wouldn’t want to go anywhere that Tom didn’t belong, too.”_

 _“Then I’ll just sort you two together. You’ve got a good head in here Harry. You’re brave, that’s for sure, but oh, what ambition! And Tom, you certainly have cunning in spades,”_ the hat remarked. _“Both of you would do very well in_ SLYTHERIN,” the hat announced to the room at large. The room was quiet for a second before breaking out into hesitant applause. The Hogwarts crest insignia on Harry’s robes turned into that of a snake and he looked around the room for where he was supposed to sit. He saw Draco beckoning him over to sit next to him. Harry made his way down from the podium and over to what must be the Slytherin table. He felt glad that he had at least one friend from the house, even one as seemingly cruel and thoughtless as Draco.

“I just knew you would be Slytherin”, Draco said as Harry made his way over to him. “Wait until my father hears about this,” he said with satisfaction. Harry sat down next to Draco and across the table from Crabbe and Goyle.

“Good to have you, Harry,” Crabbe said, gave him a small smile and Goyle nodded.

Draco pointed up at the head table towards a black-haired professor, “Do you see him?”

“Yeah”

“That's Professor Severus Snape, and he’s the head of Slytherin,” Draco said. “He’s also my godfather,” he said, puffing up a bit. Harry looked at the man and saw him looking back at him. The man, _Professor Snape,_ gave Harry such a look of disgust that Harry recoiled.

“Who are the rest of them?” Harry asked, looking away from the man and his hateful gaze.

“I don’t know all of them, but she’s the head of Gryffindor house, Professor McGonagall,” he said, pointing at the woman who was calling out the student's names. “He’s Professor Flitwick, head of Ravenclaw. The rumor is that he’s half-goblin, but he's also a dueling champion.” He pointed out a small man as he said this. “The one in the middle is obviously Dumbledore,” Draco said, dropping the honorific. “And that one’s Hagrid, he’s a half-breed and a drunk,” Draco said, pointing at Hagrid

“He’s not that bad,” Harry said. “He brought me my Hogwarts letter.”

“He’s in Dumbledore’s pocket,” Draco said, “and he’s a criminal. They snapped his wand and expelled him from Hogwarts.”

“But he seemed so nice,” said Harry. “How do you know all that anyway?”

“My father told me; he's on the board of governors,” Draco said proudly.

“Which one is the Hufflepuff head of house?” Harry asked, changing the subject.

“Does it matter?” Draco replied derisively. 

They quieted down when the last student had finished being sorted into Slytherin and Dumbledore stood up.

'Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you,” he said before sitting down. 

“What a barmy old coot,” Draco said with a sneer. “I can’t believe they let him run a school.” Harry had to agree with him, honestly.

He waited until after he saw everyone start eating to begin putting food onto his plate, piling it high with as much food as he could fit on it. He started eating and didn’t stop even when he was no longer hungry, not remembering the last time he was able to eat until he was satisfied.

 _“No one’s going to take it from you, Harry,”_ Tom said. _“Slow down or you’re going to make yourself sick.”_

“You must have been hungry,” Draco smiled after Harry had finished off his plate, and Harry already felt a bit queasy. After all the plates on the table disappeared Dumbledore stood up and gave another speech but Harry wasn’t listening, instead trying to tamp down on the growing nausea that he was feeling.

“Did you hear what he said about the third floor corridor?” Draco asked. “It’s a wonder this school even stays open with all the safety hazards,” he said haughtily. “When I tell my father about this…” Harry had stopped listening to him, though, as Tom had begun speaking. 

_“You really shouldn’t have eaten so much,”_ he said, sounding disappointed. Harry didn’t say anything, just grimaced in discomfort. The feeling of nausea didn’t go away, even after they made their way down to the dungeons after dinner.

The prefects led the group of Slytherins to the dungeons, pausing at the door to give the password, “Runespoor.” The upper years went to their dorm rooms but the first years were told to wait. Harry was anxious, shifting from foot to foot. The first years began talking to each other in hushed tones until the dungeon door opened and a man stepped inside. Harry could make out his features better in the close quarters. His hair was shoulder-length and lanky, and when he glanced at Harry his lips curled.

“Welcome to the noble house of Slytherin,” Professor Snape began as he got to the front of the crowd of students. “This is where you will spend the next seven years and I hope that you will come to consider it your home. Here you will find out who your true friends are.” Here he paused, looking directly at Harry. “We do not tolerate slackers here in Slytherin and those you who hoped to could survive on fame alone will find that that is not the case.” Harry shrank back and Professor Snape continued, looking away from Harry. “Nonetheless, if you find that you are…struggling unduly you may visit any of our prefects for assistance. We as Slytherin must provide a united front to the rest of this school. This means no infighting in public. You may be targeted by the other houses but know that you were put in Slytherin for a reason, and they were not. As such, you may come to my office if you find yourself in need of care and cannot go to Madame Pomfrey. It’s now time for you to make your way up to your dormitories and rest before classes in the morning. I had better not hear of any disturbances after eleven,” he finished, exiting the room as swiftly as he had entered.

“Wasn't that great?” Draco said to Harry after Snape had strode out of the common room. 

“Did you see the way he was looking at me?” Harry asked him. “Like I was–” Harry cut himself off.

“What are you talking about, he was looking at everyone,” Draco told him. 

“Never mind,” Harry said, shaking his head. He trudged up the staircase to their new shared dorm room, ready to collapse in his bed after the long day.


End file.
